Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

The condition might turn the world of the victim into a living hell, but with proper medication, it can be managed.

Anne is 27
years old. She lives with her parents and siblings, two brothers and a sister.
About ten years ago, Anne was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
(BPD).

When she
learned of her condition, she embarked on a mission to learn everything there
is to know about the mental illness. Although she felt out of sync with the
world, she was excited and relieved because the symptoms she’d experienced
since she was a teenager finally had an explanation.

Anne would then
embark on another journey to seek treatment. She talked to psychiatrists, tried
therapy, and various medications. She was not sure how much money and time her
search for a cure would take, but she was determined to do everything to get
better.

While where she
lives is a great town with a fantastic community, mental health services aren’t
that great. Mental health is underfunded, and the city lacks enough
psychiatrists and social workers. As a result, Anne had access to only a
handful of psychiatrists who were always overworked and could not provide the
help she desperately needed.

Regardless of
her efforts to get medical help, she still struggled with a borderline
personality disorder for many years. She became very good at faking smiles and
acting as if everything was well. Other than her immediate family members,
people didn’t know she was actually suffering. Most people, especially her
coworkers thought of her as the moody woman with crazy mood swings, but it was
much more than that. She was battling with a lot inside her mind and was always
in a lot of emotional pain.

People who have
no experience with mental illnesses cannot comprehend the amount of physical
pain and emotional baggage mentally ill people go through. Suicidal thoughts
crossed Anne’s mind all the time. She felt like she’d had enough of life, and
was willing to die. She saw herself as ‘too much’ to her family and those close
to her and believed she was doing everyone a favour by committing suicide. She
tried to kill herself twice and was hospitalised a couple of times. She did
drugs, abused alcohol, hurt herself, and engaged in a bunch of other unhealthy
coping mechanisms.

Anne’s
condition was at its worst during her college years. Every day was a struggle
for her. She developed an eating disorder, her hair became thin, lost weight,
and she’d black out all the time because she was acutely malnourished. She’d go
through periods of elevated moods and high energies to periods of low energies
and lack of motivation. When she was in a good mood, she’d go to the gym,
purge, and watch her calories. When her mood was low, all Anne wanted to do was
to lay in bed all the time and eat whatever was available.

At some point,
Anne had to quit college for a year to concentrate on getting better. Two years
ago, she resumed college, managed to get her grades back on track, and
graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Sociology. Last year, Anne
hit rock bottom again. She was under constant pressure; work was stressful, and
she was not receiving proper treatment.

Her
psychiatrist adjusted her medications and recommended Dialectical
Behavioral Therapy. She’s found a decent therapist whom she sees twice
every week. She’s feeling much better now, and her condition is slowly stabilising.

While Anne is
not where she’d want to be yet, she’s happy she’s finally on the right track to
managing her mental condition. She’s also confident that she will achieve her
goal of building a successful career in her industry and become a valuable
member of society.

Final Words

While borderline personality disorder is a rampant mental condition in the modern-day society, not many people understand it. It doesn’t help that those battling with the disorder would rather keep it to themselves than seek help. The truth is, while the condition might turn the world of the victim into a living hell, with proper medication, it can be managed. To increase the chances of bringing borderline personality disorder under control, people should seek medication immediately they start to experience the symptoms.